


Lilacs Out of the Dead Land

by Leap_of_Faith, Volavi



Series: A Moment's Surrender (or the Roomba Verse) [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: (the bad guys), Action, Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Original Character(s), adventures in babysitting, misuse of Chuck E. Cheese knockoff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22963393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leap_of_Faith/pseuds/Leap_of_Faith, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Volavi/pseuds/Volavi
Summary: Dick and Jason babysit Lian and Cerdian for the weekend since they're benched from patrol due to previous injuries. But a fun Friday night out turns into a fight for survival when low-level thugs decide to take advantage of the distraction of an Arkham breakout. Already hurt and stuck as civilians, Dick and Jason fight to keep their young charges alive and make it home in one piece.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Series: A Moment's Surrender (or the Roomba Verse) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1650277
Comments: 16
Kudos: 88
Collections: Jaydick Flash Fanwork Challenge





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We've finished the draft and will be posting the remaining chapters as we finish editing. This is set in the same universe as "Till human voices wake us, and we drown," though that does not need to be read to understand this fic. All you need to know is that Jason and Dick are together.
> 
> Lian Harper is Roy's daughter and Cerdian is Garth's son in some continuities, though Roy and Garth don't show up in this fic. 
> 
> No children, real or fictional, were harmed in the making of this fic. However, we can't say the same for Jason and Dick!

"I'm just saying, this place would be a lot more tolerable if they had more than beer." Jason glared into his Zesti as if it were responsible for his current troubles. He winced as the movement pulled at his bruised ribs, and took his own turn aiming the plastic rifle at the ducks and targets.

Dick turned away from the game to make sure he could see their two charges for the weekend, Cerdian and Lian. The two were displaying way too much glee at slicing fruit to be completely healthy, but at least they looked like they were having fun. More fun than Jason and Dick were, at least. Dick stifled a sigh then took a drink of his own Zesti. “I could go for a piña colada right now, that’s for sure.”

When both Roy and Garth had been pulled away for an emergency mission, Dick volunteered to babysit the kids for the weekend, since he and Jason were both on medical leave. When the kids had started to get antsy, Dick had suggested taking them to Pete E. Pizza. Kid paradise but an overpriced torture chamber for adults. Terrible pizza, indoor playground, arcade and video games, and mostly unsupervised children of all ages running around hopped up on too much sugar. The highlight of every hour was a “concert” by a six-foot-tall animatronic mouse and his rodent friends. Yeah, Dick blamed his poor-decision making on his meds and the fact that the weather in Gotham was being extra awful, even for April. 

"Not with your painkillers you couldn't. And since when do you drink more than a near beer with Wally anyway?" Jason checked his watch. Another hour before they had to worry about making sure Cerdian stayed hydrated. And ten more minutes of hell here at Pete E. Pizza before they could take the kids back to Dick's apartment for the night. At least the worst part of the night should be over soon. It was the perfect place to take the kids, but it was sheer torture for him; overpriced pizza and far too many screaming kids for his comfort weren’t positive selling points, as far as he was concerned. The singing and dancing animatronic mouse just made everything worse. He was getting a headache from the lights and sounds and sheer overwhelming scale of the place. Or maybe that was from the concussion earlier in the week…

“The kids love this place, but if it’s giving me a headache, I can’t imagine what it’s doing to your poor brain. Anyway, at least pretend to aim when you’re playing Duck Hunt. You’re beating me and you’re paying more attention to your watch.” They were supposed to be civilians tonight, since both of them were too injured to patrol, according to both Leslie and Alfred. Not that Dick had tried to play them off of each other to get the answer that he wanted. “How do these kids have so much energy? I could really do with a piña colada.”

“Please, you love those kids no matter what, but you hate coconut, and you’re a lightweight. Try again. And I don’t need to aim.” Jason closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. He still managed a hit for every shot. “You don’t think these things are actually calibrated enough to matter, do you?” Eight more minutes, and then they could go. Not that he was keeping track. Another hour and a half and the kids would be in bed and he and Dick could attempt to relax. Hopefully, he could convince Dick that icing and elevating his knee while he read case files was a better idea than physical activity.

Dick smiled and leaned into Jason. Dick had realized earlier that day that his parents’ wedding anniversary was coming up soon. After analyzing his feelings, he’d realized that while there was certainly a bittersweet feeling, he wasn’t sad. As a young child, he’d never made a big deal of the day when he was growing up, and neither did his parents. It was more a piece of trivia, one of the facts he knew about his mom and dad. Even though Dick and Jason didn’t really have an anniversary - the closest might be the day Dick almost bled out in Jason’s safehouse and Jason shot blanks at him for breaking Jason’s Roomba - Dick was feeling especially tender towards Jason. He was in the mood for cuddles and after the kids went back home, maybe something more. Hopefully, he could convince Jason that his knee was healed enough for adult activity. Though between Dick’s knee, Jason’s bruises, broken rib, and concussion, finding a satisfying position might be difficult. That’s okay. Dick relished the challenge. He was very creative and very bendy. 

“Show off,” Dick said with a fond grin. 

“We should get them to cash in their tickets before they run off and find another game,” Jason suggested. He’d seen the kids eying the Whack-a-mole game towards the back of the room, and Dick didn’t need the extra steps, especially since he’d declined Leslie’s recommendation of crutches, opting instead for a single cane. At least Lian and Cerdian had run around enough tonight to go to bed without more than a normal amount of fuss. He hoped. They were good kids, but he didn’t feel nearly as comfortable with them as Dick. He was a natural with them. Jason never felt sure quite what to say, just knew enough not to talk down to them. He knew he needed to do more than that, though.

“Good idea.” Dick turned to Lian and Ceridian, still slashing digital fruit with delight. He waited until the ‘game over’ message flashed on the screen. “Hey, kiddos.” When they both looked at him, he smiled. “Last game. Time to cash out your tickets.”

“But Uncle Dick! You said we had until 7!” Lian protested. They’d left a generous amount of time to get back to Dick’s apartment before Cerdian would need to submerge himself to prevent dehydration.

“I did, and it’s 6:55 now, so do you want time to pick out your prizes? Let’s see how many tickets you each have and what prizes you can get.”

Both kids’ eyes lit up with the thought of their loot. “I bet I have more tickets than you!” Cerdian crowed. 

“So? I think I have enough tickets for the monkey!” Lian shot back, and they dashed off.

Dick chuckled at the inherent mercenary nature of second graders and followed them at a more sedate pace, Jason falling into place a step behind him. Normally they’d walk side by side, but there wasn’t room in the maze of arcade games and crowds with Dick’s cane in the way. 

The lights flickered for a split second, and Jason tensed, looking around for the source of the interruption. A storm was predicted for tonight, but he’d checked the weather multiple times before they’d left; it shouldn’t be here yet. He couldn’t detect much of a reaction, other than surprised shrieks from a handful of the younger children. He moved closer to Dick, thumbing the screen open on his phone, looking to see if he’d missed any messages from the family, but there was nothing. 

Maybe he was just overreacting. 

Still, maybe they should hurry things along. He asked Dick, "You still have Alfred’s brownies and some ice cream at home?" That should be sufficient motivation to hurry the kids up, right?

Dick glanced back at Jason. “Yeah, I do. I’ll let them know.” Jason was still looking at his phone, but Jason met his eyes for a split second and shook his head, so he’d seen nothing specific yet. Still, best not to risk anything with two kids - both of whom thought Dick and Jason were both civilians, despite being the children of heroes themselves. Dick pushed himself to catch up with the kids with a hidden wince. He ruffled Cerdian’s hair and gave Lian a quick squeeze of her shoulder. “Alright, my friends, let’s get out of here before the stinky teenagers start showing up.” He made an exaggerated disgusted face and the kids giggled. “And I have ingredients to make brownie fudge sundaes at home.”

Lian grabbed his free hand and tugged. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

“Must have slipped my mind.”

“Yeah cuz you’re old,” Cerdian said helpfully.

“Your dad is older than me,” Dick protested with a smile.

“Yeah and he’s like super duper old. Like a hundred years old.”

The sounds of gunshots cut off Dick’s retort. Moving before his conscious mind could catch up, Dick dropped his cane so he could wrap an arm around each child and drop them to the ground, using his own body to cover as much of theirs as he could. Men bellowed orders, children shrieked, the lights flickered a second time and then went out and stayed out. So far, fortunately, they seemed to be shooting into the air, not into the crowds.

Jason was crouched beside them, peering out from behind one of the machines. “Three men. Heavily armed. We can’t stay here…” They’d be sitting ducks, far more easy to pick off than the ones in their earlier game. He mumbled a few choice words under his breath. They couldn’t just disappear to change into costume, even if they’d brought them along or weren't injured; they couldn't just leave the kids. 

Okay, he could move around better than Dick, at least. He’d scout things out, and if he had to, make a diversion and let Dick and the kids, and hopefully, everyone else, escape. If they were already shooting, there wasn’t time to wait for Bruce or the others to get here.

“Stay here. Get them undercover, and I’ll get a better look, maybe find a way to get everyone out.” Jason squeezed Dick’s shoulder and ducked behind another arcade game.

“Damn it, Jason,” Dick muttered as Jason disappeared before he could even respond to Jason’s plan. Dick risked raising his head for a quick look around. How exactly was he supposed to ‘stay here’ but also get the kids undercover? Fortunately, they were close to a booth. He nudged Lian and pointed. She nodded when she realized what he wanted, biting her lip, the only sign of her nerves. She army crawled towards the hiding place, moving silent and fast like a snake. He tapped Cerdian’s shoulder and motioned him to follow Lian. Cerdian was pale, but, like Lian, otherwise outwardly calm and determined. Dick gave him a thumbs up and a grin.

Dick looked around again. He couldn’t see any of the armed men from his position on the floor amidst the arcade games, though he still heard occasional gunfire. Someone shouted, “Get down, hands on your heads!” so the gunmen had at least some hostages. Dick had to make sure his charges didn’t become part of that group. So far, based on the sounds and words he could here, no one had been hurt yet - just threatened and ordered around. Snagging his cane with an elbow, Dick followed the kids the six feet or so to the booth, his right leg in its big white brace dragging uselessly behind. Once he made it under the table without any shouts of alarm, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Now they had protection on three sides as well as above them. 

Jason moved from cover to cover, stopping every so often to offer assistance or reassurance to sobbing children (and parents). When he felt he had a good enough concealed position, he let himself get a good look at the situation. He’d missed one of the attackers. There were four of them, talking loudly and shooting things, and very occasionally people, at random. They weren’t going for the cash register, so why were they here? Then again, this was Gotham; logic wasn't always a factor.

They had to make a plan. Neither he nor Dick were in prime fighting condition, they were hindered by the kids, their current identities, and the room full of panicking civilians around them. And they couldn’t just wait around for rescue, because Cerdian would need to hydrate before that would happen. 

Fuckity fuck fuck.

He pulled his phone out again and felt it vibrate in his hand. 

Arkham breakout.

He spared a glance backwards, but couldn't see Dick or the kids. Good. This called for something showier, flashier, even more of a distraction than what he'd originally considered. He had a new idea. Now he just had to trust that Dick would get everyone else out in time.

When Jason wasn’t back within five minutes, Dick allowed himself to worry. The kids were further under the table than he was, so he could shield them if necessary and he could peek out as needed. A couple of gunmen had passed their hiding place, but no one had seen them yet. Most of the other people had either found cover as best they could among the arcade games or under tables, but from what Dick could overhear, a small group seemed to have been captured and were being held captive by the front doors, in the large vestibule in front of the cashier’s counter. That area was behind the partial wall their booth was backed up against, so Dick couldn’t get visual confirmation without risking being spotted. Dick’s phone buzzed and he fished his phone out. Ah shit. It’s a batfam notification from Oracle of an Arkham breakout. Jason better get his ass back here fast. 

Jason had other plans, though. He sent a quick text to Dick.

Four gunmen. No apparent mission, just causing chaos. When I distract them, send people out the side exits. Let O know we’re here.

He might not have all of his gear, and he might not be 100% in a fight, but he still had years of training under his belt. Besides… Jason hated that flea-bitten hell-mouse. He’d enjoy every second of this. He started wiggling toward the stage, ignoring the conga line in his head and what were far more than twinges in his ribs now. He had a plan. 

A moment of scrounging around through the remotes in the area beside the animatronics netted him a small pile of batteries. The roll of masking tape wasn’t his first choice, but it would work in a pinch. His small pocket knife made quick work of the wiring, and a few other sundry supplies would have had him cackling in glee, if the situation hadn’t been so serious. If these fuckers wanted chaos, he’d give them chaos.

Dick gritted his teeth upon reading Jason’s message but sent an update to Oracle as asked. He knew that they couldn’t expect the rest of the family’s help, though, not during a major Arkham breakout. After he received her acknowledgment, he turned, awkward in the small space and his knee brace, to Lian and Cerdian. “When I say ‘go,’ I want you to run as fast as you can to that emergency exit, cross to the big planter in the middle of the mall, and hide behind it. Don’t look back. Keep low. Got it?” This is why he always memorized his surroundings and exit paths, even as a civilian. 

He got two hesitant nods back. “You can do this,” he said, putting a little Nightwing in his voice, meeting both their eyes in turn.

“Run, stay low, hide behind the planter,” Lian repeated.

“Good. You got this. Now climb over me so you’re in front.”

The two kids slithered their way over Dick’s legs to perch just under the edge of the table, posed like runners at the starting blocks. “Great. Now just wait for my signal.”

Never let it be said that Jason wasn’t dramatic. He took his mission of creating a distraction quite seriously, even if he enjoyed it far more than was strictly necessary. The display started with smoke and progressed to some showy sparks. Almost every electronic in the control area was affected, and he was impressed, considering; it looked almost like fireworks - if you squinted right. Within a minute, the fire sprinklers activated and joined in the party. The crowning achievement in Jason’s night, however, was when the giant life-size animatronic mouse started dancing, and warned the gunmen to let everyone go. He hated that mouse, but now a small part of him that must be about 11 years old wished he could make it move around and talk in some very non-kid friendly ways. 

Maybe another day. And definitely another mouse, because that one erupted with a somewhat hollow-sounding boom. Bits of stuffing and gray fluff rained down alongside the water. Between the alarms and explosions and screaming civilians, his head was absolutely killing him, but it was most definitely an effective distraction. 

The gunmen gathered together, milling around in one corner, muttering about the bat and shooting at anything dark that dared move up near the ceiling. Candy and bits of colored paper joined the chaotic mix raining down inside the restaurant.

Dick recognized a distraction courtesy of Jason Todd when he saw one. “Go!” he shouted to the kids. He crawled after them, stood up with some effort, the help of his cane and a welcome hit of adrenaline. 

He turned to the group of hostages behind him and yelled “Run! Get out of here now!” He gestured towards the set of doors closest to them, which led to the exterior parking lot. Once it was clear that they had received the message and that the gunmen were still occupied by the smoking mouse, the fire sprinklers, and trying to find Batman in the high, warehouse-style ceiling. 

He turned back in the direction of the door the kids had run for, which opened up into the mall. He moved after the kids more slowly, pausing at every cluster of hiding civilians to tell them to run. The distraction held for precious minutes, enough for dozens of families and children to escape. People had figured out that now was their chance, and were fleeing before Dick even got to their hiding places. Good. That made his job simpler and faster. He started checking underneath the tables on the far side of the game area for more hidden groups. This might just work. 

“Hey! They’re getting away!” Dick froze at the sound of the bellow. The gunmen had finally stopped shooting at the mouse and the ceilings and realized most of the hostages had already escaped.

“Go now!” Dick yelled, abandoning any attempt at secrecy, and ran as fast as he could manage with the brace, herding the last survivors along with him. He stopped by the same exit the kids had used, waiting for the last few civilians to leave. Waiting for Jason. 

Lights and a whirring sound started up behind the gunmen, and a tornado of paper prize tickets joined the swirling mess. A pinata flew through the air, hitting one of the sprinklers, and broke above the gunmen’s heads. Better late than never; Jason had meant these distractions to go off with the rest, but they were an even better diversion, now. Jason grabbed one of the heavy, wooden high chairs and smacked two of the goons across their upper backs. One of them went down, and the other whirled on his attacker.

Shit. 

He’d miscalculated just how much the broken rib would hamper his swing. He sucked in a breath and brought the chair up again in front of him, knocking one of the guns somewhere behind the counters and then throwing the furniture in the last man’s face. He didn’t have time to look closely, but he was hoping everyone was out now. 

Two down, another at least temporarily weaponless, and one last armed man still standing and very, very angry.

Still, better odds for everyone who’d left to be able to escape. Not the best odds for him, but he’d had worse.

Dick spotted Jason engaging the gunman. With a baby’s highchair. Normally Jason would be more than capable of taking out low-level thugs even without guns, but the guy must have a killer headache, and Dick could see from here that he was moving stiffly, favoring his right side. Dick wasn't going to leave without his boyfriend, whether or not he had to drag his dumb, courageous ass out himself. Dick looked around for a handy weapon, and he couldn’t stop his evil grin when he saw a forlorn skeeball not too far away. He used the curve of his cane to scoot it closer to him, keeping low and silent, his body still holding the door open. He hissed in triumph when he eased the ball into his hand. With one movement, Dick stood and threw. The goon threatening Jason went down like a domino. 

He went down with his finger still on the trigger, safety off. One last spray of bullets arced towards the ceiling and water began gushing as another sprinkler was hit and destroyed. Unfortunately, the sprinkler wasn’t all the bullets hit. Jason was knocked off balance as a piece of shrapnel grazed him somewhere above his temple. He blinked his eyes a few times to see Dick down on one knee, holding his side and grimacing.

Shit.

He told Dick this place sucked; he hadn't wanted Dick shot just to prove him right.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Dick and Jason have to do now is get Cerdian and Lian out of the mall and home in one piece. Easy, right? 
> 
> In Gotham... during an Arkham breakout. 
> 
> Right. Easy.

“Dick?” Jason stumbled to Dick’s side, trying to see how badly he was hurt.

“You’re bleeding, Jay.” Still on his knees, Dick pointed at the cut just at Jason’s hairline.

“What about you?” Jason reached towards the arm Dick had curled protectively across his stomach.

Dick grabbed Jason at the elbow instead, aborting the motion. “Just a graze. Help me up - we need to find the kids.” He snagged his cane as Jason pulled him to standing. “They were ahead of me. We can’t lose them.”

Jason nodded. He wasn't happy about it, but Dick was right. If there was an Arkham breakout, there could be a lot worse than these guys out there, and he'd be damned if he'd let the kids face that alone. He frowned at the dark spot he thought he could see on Dick's side, but Dick was pressing his free arm into his side again. As much as he'd enjoyed seeing Dick wear his own shirt, his color, his jacket, earlier… he didn't like how the dark red hid the blood from sight.

And then he realized another reason they had to hurry. "Cops are on their way, too. We probably don't want to put the kids through that, or have to explain Cerdian." Not to mention, Jason just didn't want to have to sit around and answer questions and make a statement, himself.

Still, Dick wasn't looking so great. They'd find the kids and then see if Oracle or Alfred could arrange for a pickup if they weren't too busy. This was lousy, rotten timing, not that there was really a good time for an Arkham breakout to occur.

Jason took a slow step, watching Dick carefully. Dick’s hand spasmed on Jason’s arm, his grip tightening. He faltered for a moment, as if his legs refused to cooperate, then took a step. “I’m okay,” he said, sounding like he was reassuring himself as much as Jason.

The rest of the mall was still open, though it seemed customers had largely abandoned the area nearest the Pete E. Pizza. Dick pointed towards a large planter about a hundred yards away, filled with decorative trees and bushes. “I told them to hide on the far side of that.”

Cerdian and Lian were right where Dick had told them to be. Jason scanned them for any injuries carefully, noting that Cerdian wasn’t showing any signs of dehydration yet. Maybe his brief exposure to the sprinklers had been enough to buy them some time.

Dick breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank god. You’re both safe.”

“You don’t look so good, Uncle Dick,” Lian said doubtfully.

Dick put on his best performer’s smile - Jason recognized it for what it was even if the kids didn’t. “Don’t worry, Dart. Now, did you watch everyone leave?”

Both children nodded.

“Did you notice any kids that seemed like they couldn’t find their grownups?”

Lian shook her head. "Some of the kids were upset, but not that upset."

"And they all left with someone," Cerdian added.

Jason patted them both on their shoulder. "Good job. But we should probably hurry and get to the car. Uncle Dick's been on his knee long enough, tonight, don't you think? And we need to have Cerdian back to the apartment before 8."

He frowned as he saw how tightly Dick was gripping his cane, and added, "The quicker we get home, the quicker you get your sundaes.” And then he'd be able to make sure Dick was fine… and he could down a handful of aspirin, because his head felt like it was split open and filled with molten lead.

“Right,” Cerdian chirped immediately, but Lian gave both Dick and Jason a searching once over before adding her own agreement.

Dick smiled again. “I snagged these earlier.” He drew two tiny water bottles out of his - Jason’s - interior jacket pocket and tossed them one at a time to the kids. “Drink up.”

Now that he’d reassured himself that Cerdian and Lian were no worse for wear, Jason turned his attention towards Dick. As talented an acrobat as he was, Dick still only had two arms, so he couldn't simultaneously hang on to Jason, put pressure on his wound, and hold the cane. “Let’s get you taken care of next.”

Dick shook his head. “Jason, distract the kids for me for a minute.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. "How bad is it?" he hissed as quietly as he could manage. He wasn't agreeing to anything until he knew just how injured Dick was.

If it was just a graze, he'd eat Roy's old Speedy hat.

“I need to dress the wounds.”

"You didn't answer me, dickhead. How bad is it?" It couldn't be good if he had to stop to dress it already. He shook his head as if to clear it and then caught himself at the waves of dizziness and nausea that washed over him with the movement. "Wait a minute. Wounds? As in more than one?" He crowded closer, not even bothering to hide his scowl now.

“Entrance and exit,” Dick admitted. “I haven’t looked, but I think I need to use HemoStat. And before you say anything, yes I can do it myself, I’ve done it before, but not if the kids watch.” Jason opened his mouth to object. “Jason. Little wing. I can’t let them see this."

"Goddamnit, Dickie. You said it was just a graze.”

“If it makes you feel any better, an inch to the side and it would have been a graze.”

“I’m not really sure that’s as reassuring as you probably meant it to be.” Jason gave Dick a flat stare. “But are you sure you don’t want help? That's at least a two-hand job, and we've got less than ten minutes before we need to be nowhere near that restaurant. Not to mention, you could barely stand before that," he gestured vaguely in the direction of Dick's injured side. "How are you going to be able to stand and bandage two wounds? And if it’s bad enough you need to use HemoStat..."

“I know about the risks and potential complications, but it’s better than bleeding out?” Dick laughed at his own joke.

“You aren’t nearly as funny as you think, either, _Dick_.” Jason emphasized his name, slightly.

“This place has to have a bench somewhere. Or a bathroom, and I can sit on the counter. I’m not fussy.” Dick glanced around and Jason followed his gaze towards a chocolate store with a giant teddy bear enthroned in an Adirondack chair out front. “There. Distract the kids!” He let go of Jason, gripped the handle of his cane harder, and made his way to the store. “Sorry bear,” he muttered before throwing it off the chair. He tugged the chair around the corner, just out of sight.

Jason made himself not watch Dick. He had to trust him and had to redirect the kids' attention. His eyes caught on the chocolate store as well, but he had an entirely different plan than Dick's. He moved closer to Lian and Cerdian, putting his arms on their shoulders and offering a rather battered but conspiratorial grin. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I think Dick overdid things a little bit, tonight, with his knee. He's probably going to be stuck in bed or on the couch tomorrow, and you know how upset he gets if he can't move around."

Both children nodded.

"He even gets cranky sometimes, when he has to stay still," Lian added.

"A little bit, sometimes," Jason said with a snort. "So what do you say we pop into that chocolate store and get him some of those ridiculous chocolate covered molasses chews and toffees he pretends he only likes a little? Maybe we can find some peanut butter cups and s’mores bars for a snack after lunch tomorrow for us, what do you say?" He moved forward, herding them along with him with the distraction of chocolatey goodness. And as soon as they were busy perusing the treats, he pulled his phone from his pocket again and sent a volley of texts.

Dick deciding to use HemoStat wasn’t a great sign. The specialty gauze, initially designed for military use as first aid in battle zones, was treated with chemical compounds that encouraged clotting to stop bleeding fast. It also meant that Dick would have to pack the wounds himself, without help. At least it would slow and hopefully stop the blood loss.

Several minutes after they entered the store, Dick poked his head inside. “Ready?”

"Uncle Dick, you're going to spoil the surprise!" Lian complained. "Turn around and hide your eyes."

"Yeah, Dick. You're spoiling everything." Jason raised his eyebrows, inquiring how everything was. The police had come into the mall, by now, and were congregating in front of the restaurant. At least they had the bag of treats, a plausible reason to be in the mall other than just Pete E. Pizza. He'd be damned if they were going to stop for questioning, now.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to spoil anything. I am feeling much better after that little break.” He caught Jason’s eyes and nodded. “All good now.”

Jason paid and shepherded the kids out the door, then held his elbow out for Dick. Dick wrapped his arm around it immediately, putting a worrying amount of his weight on Jason. Dick probably could have easily dodged if he’d been working with two good legs. But, Jason reassured himself, Dick had worked through worse.

Jason automatically turned in the direction away from Pete E. Pizza and started walking, gesturing to Lian and Cerdian to walk ahead.

“Jason, do you remember where we parked the car? Maybe you should check on that app that reminds you.” Code for ‘make sure our car is still there and the route to it is safe.’

“Uhhh, if you can make it to the exit, we should have valet service very quickly… in a flash, actually.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t want you to have to walk any more than necessary, and, well…” He motioned vaguely at Lian and Cerdian. “Valet service seemed a better idea, and… Oh, stop looking at me like that.”

It didn’t help that he was probably too dizzy to be able to drive very well. Or at all, actually. And Wally could help Tim out, since he and Dick were benched. Arkham breakouts were all hands on deck affairs, but unless it was a life and death situation or the end of the world, even he and Dick had enough sense to know they weren’t going out tonight.

Probably.

“You’re cute when you’re worried. And I'm the one with the reputation as a mother hen,” Dick chuckled. “A meta! In B’s city. Invited by you. This is fantastic.”

Jason scoffed. "Since when do I play by Bruce's 'rules' anyway? Actually, since when do you? Pretty sure you ignore them more than I do and have since the beginning, when it suits you. Anyway, all we have to do is head to the food court and out the doors there. Even with your… _knee_ _injury_ , it shouldn’t take long."

Okay. Maybe Jason had learned a thing or two from the old man. He’d memorized the layout of the mall, including alternate exits and possible hiding places, and he knew exactly how long it should take them to make it to Wally, in several different scenarios.

They finally made it to the first cluster of retail kiosks before the food court and Jason released Dick’s arm. Not much farther now. There was plenty of cover even if meant they’d take several minutes longer to get to the doors.

“Stop,” Dick commanded. “I hear the sound of fighting up ahead.”

“I’ll scout ahead. We’re not that far from the doors.” Jason offered.

“I don’t think splitting up is a good idea. Is this the only way to our pickup spot?”

Jason hadn't heard the noise, still didn't, actually, but he trusted Dick if he said he did. He considered the layout of the mall and their position. "Maybe if we go around behind the area with the escalators and fountain…" He didn't like the idea, though. There was too much open space that way, and no guarantee they wouldn't run into whatever this was up ahead. He needed to know what they were dealing with.

“We won’t be split up for more than a minute. I’ll just take a peak at whatever’s out there. Recon only, I promise.”

He was moving around the kiosks before Dick could tell him no again.

He walked slowly, pretending to browse as he moved closer to whatever was going on. He could hear it now, shouts and a few panicked shrieks.

He moved closer. And closer.

There was a crowd at the far end of the food court, right by the exit. Several people were yelling and fighting, and others were standing around, watching. It wasn’t an angry mob, but it was a large enough group they couldn’t sneak around them. There were also several police and security guards trying to calm whatever was going on.

_Damnit. No way around this._

He headed back to Dick and the kids.

“We definitely aren’t going that way. I don’t know what it is, but the cops are handling it, which means we need to go the other way, just in case someone recognizes us.” He hated having to detour, but it was better than continuing their present course and risking getting caught up in the fight or being questioned about the incident at the restaurant. If he had to, they'd text Wally and coordinate another exit.

It was a shame, though. They'd been so close, and he hated making Dick walk that much further, and it would put them that much closer to their deadline of getting Cerdian home. Not that they hadn't padded their timeline with extra time allowances, but still. He supposed if they had to, they could always stage an 'accidental' fall into the fountain… assuming they could get to it. Tonight was not really doing anything to reinforce Dick's insistence that malls weren't really that bad.

“Now I’m even more concerned about being recognized as people who’d been at Pete E. Pizza,” Dick mused with a slight frown.

“Too bad we can’t cut through the stores,” Cerdian said.

“Yeah. Wouldn’t it be cool if they had doors between them so that the workers can be friends with each other?” Lian chirped.

Jason shook his head. “Too bad retail isn’t like that.”

Dick stopped walking. “You know, they usually all open up at the back to a shared space for loading and unloading. We might have to sneak into a stock room - are you kids up for another adventure? We can pretend we’re mall employees.”

“Oooo I always wanted to work at Claires!” Lian jumped up and down and clapped her hands.

“I want to work at Build-a-Bear,” Cerdian added in a solemn tone. “It’s a very important job.” Huh. That kid took teddy bears very seriously.

“Perfect!” Dick beamed. “And Jason looks every inch the ideal Hollister employee. Or Abercrombie and Fitch model.”

“Younger me is upset you didn’t say Hot Topic, but…” Jason looked down at his clothes. Damnit, Dickie was right. He scratched his nose as subtly as he could with his middle finger, and only that because of the children. “At least you didn’t say American Eagle. Lead the way, O fearless leader.” Jason let Dick set the pace, and arm in arm as they were, Jason could keep an eye out on everyone and everything as they walked, just in case.

Again, he cursed that he didn’t even have a small pistol concealed anywhere on him. He had a few knives, but a firearm hadn’t seemed right for Pete E. Pizza.

He knew better, now.

Dick turned into the nearest open store, which just happened to be a Gotham themed merchandise store. “Two birds, one stone!” he exclaimed with some of his usual cheer.

A teenager with black braided hair smiled at them from where she was folding clothes at the front. “Welcome to Gotham!”

“Wow, I don’t think anyone has ever said that to me before,” Lian remarked.

Despite his pain, Dick couldn’t help but snicker as they passed Batman sweatshirts on one side and tiny little Robin onesies on the other. He pointed to the onesies. “Aren’t those adorable!”

"It is if you think dressing a baby as a traffic light is cute," Jason scoffed. He wasn't about to agree with Dick and encourage him. At least it wasn't weird for babies to have bare legs in public.

“Alright, alright, I’m focusing. Go pick out something that you want, kids. It should be something you can wear over your current clothes. You have two minutes, meet me at the cash register. Whoever gets there first wins!”

The kids shrieked and darted off. Dick smirked. “You too, big guy. Find a jacket or sweatshirt.”

Unfortunately, the only one they could find in Jason’s size in the two-minute deadline proudly declared “Batman Is My Hero” in black and silver glitter.

“This isn’t even the tiniest bit funny, Dick. And why, pray tell, am I dressing up in this ridiculous… garment?” Everything was starting to feel far less amusing now. Damnit, he’d just gotten over a concussion.

Almost.

The last thing he needed was another one on top of it. Plus Leslie and Alfred would be insufferable. And he’d probably be confined to his apartment, if not bed. He realized what he was doing and took a deep breath. He was sounding as stir crazy as Dick on week-long bed rest.

“I’m sure you’ve got a great plan, but why does it involve… this?” Jason sighed. At least Lian and Cerdian seemed happy with their choices. Lian held up a classic Robin tee with a cape attached at the shoulders, grinning like it was her birthday. Cerdian showed off a Spoiler tee shirt that had clearly been chosen from the adult section - it would hang down to his knees once he put it on. Jason snatched a Justice League baseball cap, as well. He’d be damned if he’d wear the Batman one, and he wasn’t in the mood to wear Robin. At least it might do something for his headache. It was way too bright in here.

Dick grabbed a black and neon green Oracle scarf and matching beanie and headed over to the counter, trying to hold himself tall and straight without Jason’s arm supporting him. The sole employee seemed to be the girl who’d greeted them, which eased Jason’s nerves. Dick placed four fifty dollar bills on the counter and then led the way further into the store.

“Can you kids put on your shirts and then try to find a door to the stockroom?” After they darted off, Dick turned to Jason. “I figure there’s surveillance video of us in the restaurant and probably just outside too. This way we’ll look like different people at a glance, at least at first.”

Cerdian dashed back. “Found it! Follow me!”

“Yeah, I’m following that much. But does that matter if we’re just going to sneak through the back?” If they got out of here quickly enough, they wouldn’t need to worry about surveillance videos.

Why weren’t there any Wonder Woman hats? He’d even take a Superman one at this point. Come to think of it, there wasn’t really much of anything with the big S on it. Or anything with Green Lantern, either, except for as part of the Justice League as a whole. Crap, he was getting distracted again. Not good.

He stayed close to Dick for support, just in case - he was looking too pale - and because he really wanted to. There was a comfort to be had just from sticking together, though the abomination of a shirt made him not want to admit it. Really. Glitter? That was probably worse than the motto.

“Jason, you still with me, babe?” Dick asked in a low voice as they slowly followed Cerdian. “You keep zoning out on me.”

“Huh? What? Oh. Yeah, I’m here. I was thinking.” He was not zoning out, thank you very much.

Just rambling in his head, a little. There was a difference.

“You’ll tell me if your headache is getting worse, right?” Dick asked.

Jason scoffed. “Just like you’d tell me how bad your knee and side are.”

Neither of them were in great shape.

Dick pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. “Point. So in case you didn’t hear me, I said that these disguises might be overkill, but if going out the back and meeting with Wally doesn’t work out as smoothly as we hope, then we might be glad we can’t be easily matched up with anyone from Pete E. PIzza. And I’m sorry they didn’t have a Wonder Woman shirt for you.”

“Or Red Hood,” Jason grumbled.

They made it to the door. “Jason, could you take care of the lock, please?” Dick asked and leaned against the wall.

“Are you okay, Uncle Dick?” Lian asked.

“Yes, sweetheart. I’m good.”

“Hmmm. You kind of look like my daddy when he’s about to get dehydration sickness, but worse,” Cerdian added helpfully.

“Thanks, C.”

“Uh, sure thing, Dick.” Jason pulled the brim of the hat down further over his face, to get rid of some of the glare. That would help. Then he’d be able to open the lock, no problem. He fished through his pockets for a set of picks and a tension wrench. He leaned back and angled his head so he could see properly and tried to jiggle them to open the tumblers. He bit back a few choicer curses in deference to current company, and then dropped one of the picks.

That’s when he realized moving quickly really wasn’t a good idea, especially standing back up. He made it out to be steadying the picks, but in reality, he was balancing himself, instead.

_Fuck_.

Nothing better happen, or they were so screwed, especially since he’d bet agreeing to wearing this hideous monstrosity of a shirt for a week straight if Dick wasn’t worse off than him.

Finally, the lock clicked open. Definitely not a record-setting time.

“Let me go first. If there’s anyone back there, I’ll need to talk fast.” Dick pushed himself away from the wall with a stifled groan and opened the door confidently as if he had every right to be there.

“Um, hello?” A teenage boy, thin and fighting off some acne, shot to his feet, hiding a phone behind his back. He looked at their small group in confusion. “Who are you?”

_Double fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I could apologize for Jason's language, but... nope. To thine own self be true. 
> 
> And April is the cruelest month, hopefully we'll finish editing soon enough to have this all posted before April is over!

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from T.S. Eliot's poem "The Wasteland."
> 
> April is the cruelest month, breeding  
> Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing  
> Memory and desire, stirring  
> Dull roots with spring rain.
> 
> Series title is also courtesy of Eliot.


End file.
